Reel World

Vote Early, Vote Often

Last March, local Albuquerque filmmaker/actor Billy Garberina (director and star of Necroville and featured actor in indie films like The Stink of Flesh, Feeding the Masses, Gimme Skelter, Wet Heat, Psycho Holocaust, Ski Wolf and Deathbone) was named Scary Stud of the Month by Pretty-Scary.net (the website “for women in horror, by women in horror”). The site summed up Garberina’s elusive appeal thusly: “If Eric Stolz and Kevin Bacon were gay and had a genetically engineered child using both of their DNA with which to share their love, but that child ended up straight and his name was Billy Garberina, then Billy Garberina would be a lot like that kid except probably way less rich.” Who can argue? Now Garberina is locked in a fierce battle for Pretty Scary’s 2009 Scary Stud of the Year. He’s got some stiff competition, going up against guys like Mike J. Nelson (“Mystery Science Theater 3000”), Robert Patrick (Terminator 2: Judgment Day), Eli Roth (Inglourious Basterds) and Corin Nemec (Mansquito). He’s stayed near the top of the list, but he needs a little more help to guarantee a victory. Show your love for the local boy by logging on to Pretty-Scary.net and voting for him. You have until Jan. 31!

Will N.M. Get Grit?

It looks like the Coen brothers might be coming back to New Mexico for a spell. The filmmaking pair, who shot their 2007 Oscar winner No Country For Old Men in the northern part of our state, is preparing to film a remake of the 1969 John Wayne Western True Grit. The story, based on the book by Charles Portis, finds a young girl hiring a drunk U.S. Marshal and a hard-nosed Texas Ranger to hunt down her father’s killer. The new version will star Matt Damon, Jeff Bridges and Josh Brolin. The majority of filming will take place in and around the Austin, Texas area. However, the Coens are reportedly scouting locations in Utah, Arizona and New Mexico for the film’s finale—a big shootout set in the Rockies. Seems like we should be a front-runner for this one. With any luck, Jeff Bridges, who shot his last two films (Crazy Heart and TheMen Who Stare At Goats) here in New Mexico, will do a little additional lobbying on our part.